Let Me Tell You A Story
by lestrangegirlwritings1539
Summary: My name was Ioma Elizabeth Ulley. This is the story about the greatest love I have ever found, and how my life, and name, changed because of it. (I'm sorry that the summary is kinda sucky, this is my first story, so I ask for some understanding.)
1. Chapter 1: From the Start

Prologue/ Intro: Ioma

My name was Ioma Elizabeth Ulley. This is the story about the greatest love I have ever found, and how my life, and name, changed because of it.

Chapter 1: From the start…

"Hi Uncle Sam," I exclaim while climbing out of the car. I'm staying with my uncle for the summer. He lives in a small Native American reservation in Washington, La Push, which is very close to a small town called Forks. I'm thirteen years old, and I am traveling from another small town: Tecumseh, Oklahoma. You may be wondering why a thirteen year old girl is randomly going to live with her uncle, who lives half a country away. Well, it is NOT because I am a "problem child" whose parents need some sort of reprieve from because they are going insane; no, I'm staying with Sam because I was really bored and needed a place to stay while my parents are away on a "couple's vacation." I could have gone with them, but I thought they'd like to have some, much deserved, time alone; which they are highly enjoying, as I've heard from them earlier today.

My uncle's girlfriend, Leah, came to fetch me from the airport this morning. I like Leah, but I don't feel like she is "the one" for Sam. They know how I feel, and I respect that their relationship isn't going to change because of it. We all get along well, so it was obvious that this would be the perfect place for me to stay over the summer.

As I get out of the car, I'm enveloped in one of my uncle's giant bear hugs. I immediately notice how feverish he feels; I choose not to say anything, thankful for the warmth. It's freaking cold in Washington, well compared to where I'm from it is.

"Hi Ili," Sam chuckles out, as I gasp for air after being released from his lung-crushing hug. Ili is my nick-name, and I'm not sure how it came about.

"How ya' doin'?" I ask.

"I'm good." He responds. "How are you?"

"Great, now that I'm finally able to not be sitting."

He smiles. "Go ahead and grab your things, and we can move them into your room."

"Alrighty." I head back to the car to get my bags. I have two duffel bags, and a larger suitcase full of stuff I thought I might need while here; mostly clothes. Don't judge! The weather is different in Washington than Oklahoma, and I don't know exactly what I'll be doing every day; I want to be prepared for anything. I'm having a little trouble getting my bags out of the trunk and backseat and to the front of the car. Ok, I may have gone a bit overboard….but it's better safe than sorry, right? Sam notices my struggle and laughs while grabbing both of my duffle bags, leaving me with the easy-to-roll suitcase and feeling like a wimp.

It was then that I noticed how muscular Sam has become. I mean, as long as I've known my uncle, which is practically my entire life, he's never been a small dude, but now he's HUGE. Not just muscular either, he's grown a good six inches since I had been here a couple months ago. Now I'm begging to wonder what has been going on with my uncle's body. Could his feverish temperature have something to do with it? I mean, I have never heard of a sickness making you stronger and taller, but what do I know? I'm only thirteen. Well, I'm not going to worry about it. Sam's a big boy, both figuratively and literally, and he can take care of himself.

I was thinking about this while following Sam and Leah into Sam's moderate-sized home, up the stairs, and toward the back of the house where the small but comfortable room where I will be staying is. Now I have set my things down at the end of the bed.

"How do you like it?" Sam asked with a curious excitement in his eyes and a pushy edge to his voice.

"Sam, give her some time to take it all in." Leah interjects with a smirk.

"Sorry, I'm just anxious," is Sam's sheepish reply.

"It's alright," I chuckle, "I like the room a lot, thank you." I smile.

Leah smiles back, "Glad you like it." She says as Sam grins at me. "Would you like to unpack your bags now?"

"Yes I would." I turn to my luggage; my bags look like the zippers might pop from being so full. I grimace, "it might take a while."

"That's ok; I'll start dinner while you unpack." Sam says.

"I'm going home, I will see you two later." Leah says, waving goodbye.

"Bye Leah!" I say as Sam walks Leah out.

I begin unpacking. I guess now is as good of a time as any to really introduce myself. My name is Ioma Elizabeth Ulley. As I said before, Samuel Ulley is my uncle. He is my dad's brother. My dad is Daniel Ulley; he and his wife have been happily married for seven years and are absolutely great people; they have raised me very well. I used to have siblings. When I was seven, my nine and ten-year-old brothers died in a car accident. My mother and us children were in the car, and a drunk driver hit us on the right side, near the back of the vehicle, where my brothers and I were sitting. I would have been killed too if my brothers hadn't pushed me into the floor right before the vehicles made impact with each other.

The younger brother's name was Samuel; we called him Sammy. Daniel Jr. was the older brother, and we called him Dee. I loved them both very much and we were very close. When they died I became a whole new person. I changed for the better; I used to be a major brat. My brothers were selfless, but they got frustrated easily. They were funny, but ornery little boogers, and everyone loved them tremendously. My father and I became closer, despite the loss of two of our dear family members. The accident happened a little over six years ago, and even though our hearts still hurt like crazy sometimes, it isn't a constant roaring pain as it once was.

I'm half Quileute Native American. My dad is full Quileute; my mother is like the average American, a mix of nationalities. My dad is ten years older than his only brother, whom everyone calls Sam. It's quite an age gap, but when those two men are together, they act like twelve year olds; it quite hilarious at times. My dad and mother are both thirty-two years old; my step-mom, who I just call "Mom," is thirty years old.

I'm finally done unpacking! Hallelujah! I was afraid that I wouldn't get done tonight, whew! I jog down the stairs, well I attempt jogging anyways. I trip coming off the last step; every now and then I am a total klutz. I find my way to the kitchen and see that Sam has ordered Chinese, and is putting it on plates… I guess he is trying to make it look like he cooked it himself. He probably doesn't think I will notice that no pans were dirty. I just shake my head.

Oh dear uncle…

"Hey Uncle," I call out, startling Sam. He looks up and hides the container from the restaurant that was currently in his hand behind his back.

"Hi Ili, how long you been there?" He asks somewhat nervously. I cock my eyebrow, giving him this "I know what you're doing" look.

"Long enough to know that it wasn't your kitchen where the food was cooked, and it was not you who cooked it either." I chuckle.

"Oh, well…yeah." He replies with a sheepish look on his face.

I just laugh and walk into the kitchen, sit down at the table and grab me a plate full of food. I'm really hungry; I haven't eaten since before my flight this morning. As I dig into my food, I look over at Sam and see eh he's already eaten over half of his plate of food. I'm only a few bites in, and he had even more than I did! And he is still shoveling it into his mouth like he is trying to catch it.

"Jeeze Sam, it's not gonna run away from you!" I say and then giggle as he looks up from his plate at me, food hanging out of his mouth. I smile and hand him a napkin as he slurps up more food. He nods his head and grins, eating at a calmer pace now. After we finish eating we clean up the kitchen, then head into the living room. We sit down on the couch and start catching up on each other's life.

"So how's your dad and Elaine?" Sam asks me.

Elaine is my step-mother. She is not one of those stereotypical "evil step-mothers." She is actually very kind. I wish Elaine had been my actual mother most of the time. I mean I love my mother, Carla, but she is crazy, idiotic, and makes horrible decisions.

"They're doing well. So far they are really enjoying their little get-away." I smile at the thought of them.

They had been married for about a year before Dee and Sammy died. I really believe that if it weren't for Elaine, my dad wouldn't have made it. She gave my dad the strength to fight against my mother for custody of me. Elaine is such a wonderful woman. She is kind, funny, and beautiful; she is perfect for my dad. Just seeing them together warms my heart. They have led me to believe in true love. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's the truth. I love my parents very much. I'm so glad my dad was able to find a woman like Elaine; a woman that will love him deeply, and that he can love so deeply.

"What about your mother; have you heard from her lately?"

"Oh yes, a couple days ago she made her weekly guilty-insult-call." I reply, rolling my eyes.

"She's still doing that? After all these years?" He asks, looking shocked.

"Yeah, they seem to get worse the older I get. It's like she thinks 'oh you're a teenager now, time to take it up a notch.'"

"I can't believe that! You shouldn't have to deal with Carla's bull-"

"It's not so hard to go through now though. Now that I'm a teenager, I'm professional at ignoring." I interject once I notice that Sam is starting to get angry. I mean really angry; he was _shaking_. It was crazy. Right as I make the joke, he immediately calms down though.

"Ha ha, I guess you're right." He chuckles, somewhat strained.

"Yeah, so don't worry too much. It's not like she's ever gonna come around."

After a short pause, "Hey, do you remember Billy Black," Sam asks me.

"Yeah, he's Jacob's dad, and his daughter's name is Rachael." I answer.

"Yep, well, you're going to have to go over to his house for a little while tomorrow."

"Why, tired of me already?"

"No! No, I just have to work. I'm sorry. It's just tomorrow, then I'm off for the weekend!"

"It's alright. I'll be fine hanging over there for a bit." I assure him.

"Ok, I'm glad you're good with it." Sam sighs in relief.

"Just don't forget about me." I joke. Sam just smiles.

"I'm gonna get some sleep now. Who knew sittin' on a plane could make you this tired?" I say while stretching and yawning.

"Alright," he chuckles a little, "Goodnight."

"You too."

I walk to my room, and I flip on the light. It is a very plain room. There is a desk, a dresser, a bed, a small couch, and the closet is on the same wall that the bedroom door is on. The bed is on the left side of the room, as is the dresser; the love-seat sofa and the desk are on the right. There are two windows. One is right above the desk on the right wall of the room; the other is on the wall opposite/across from the closet and bedroom door.

As I get changed into my pajamas, I start to remember all I can about Jacob Black. Whenever my family and I would visit in the past, Jacob and I always hung-out. We have always gotten along pretty well. We met at his mother's funeral when we were six. After the funeral, I walked down to First Beach. It wasn't too far of a walk since La Push is close to the coast. I was climbing some rocks and I had slipped. I had twisted my ankle and bloodied my hands and knees. Jacob had walked past the rocks just as I fell. He helped me walk back to my uncle's house. My family and I thanked him for helping me. The next day he came over with his father, Billy Black, to check on me and offer some tribal home-remedies to help with the pain. We gladly accepted and invited them to stay for dinner. Ever since then Jacob and I have been friends. When we were about eight, we met a new friend. He name was Isabella Swan. She was the daughter of the Fork's Police Chief, Charlie Swan. She would visit over the summer like me. Her parents were divorced, so she visited her dad during that time. We all hung out and enjoyed it. Then after a couple years, Bella (as she liked to be called) stopped visiting. It was kind of sad for me; I was a bit closer to her than Jacob was.

Jacob and I have had a lot of fun together in the past, and I hope that won't change this year. I mean, everyone knows how preteen boys sometimes get towards girls. I don't really think Jacob is affected by that stuff; he hasn't been in the past, but who knows? I'll find out tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2: New Friends

Chapter 2: New Friends…

I wake up in the morning, shower put my hair up in a bun, do my makeup (it's very light, just some liquid foundation and mascara), and get dressed, then walk into the kitchen. Sam is already in there and has set some cereal out on the table. It's Cinnamon Toast Crunch, one of my favorites.

"Good morning Uncle," I say cheerily.

"Good morning Ioma. You know you can just call me 'Sam'. When you call me 'Uncle", it makes me feel old." Sam says and fakes a pout.

"Well you are old…er than me." I tease him. He just smirks and hands me a bowl.

"There's milk in the fridge; spoons in the drawer by the fridge," Sam says.

"Thanks!" I get a spoon and get the milk out of the fridge. I pour me some cereal and add milk to the dry, sugary-sweet squares in my bowl. As I take my first bite, Sam starts talking to me.

"I'm gonna get dressed, and then I'll take you over to Billy's when you're done eating and ready to go."

I nod my head and continue eating. Sam comes back into the kitchen as I'm rinsing my bowl in the sink.

"You ready," he asks me.

"I'm gonna brush my teeth real quick, then I'll be ready to go." I go to the bathroom upstairs, which is really close to my room. In fact, there are only two rooms upstairs: my room, and the bathroom. I brush my teeth quickly, and then I'm back downstairs in a jiffy. Right before I walk into the kitchen, I do a little victory dance and mentally praise myself for not tripping on the stairs this time. Unbeknownst to me, Sam walks up and unfortunately sees some of my celebration.

"So does this mean you're ready now," he asks me, laughing.

I look to him in shock, "Uh, yeah, good to go," I say with a blush.

Sam nods, still laughing, and we head out to his car. We get in, buckle up, and we're off. It's about a seven minute drive to the Blacks' house, so there is not a lot of time for me to mentally prepare myself. We get out of the car and walk up to the house. I'm a bit nervous, and I don't really know why. I guess I just feel like this visit will be different.

"You sure you're going to be ok here all day," Sam asks me concerned.

"Yeah, I should be just fine. I'll be a good girl." I answer him, smiling.

Sam pats my shoulder then knocks on the door. The man of the house answers the door. He has a smile on his aging face. There's a warm, friendly light in his eyes, and his presence is welcoming; that's Billy for you.

"Hello Sam, how are you?" Billy cheerily greets.

"I'm good, and you?" Sam responds.

"Doing well, and how are you Ms. Ioma?" Billy says, grinning at me.

"I'm mighty fine, thanks for asking." I answer, smiling back at him.

"Well, come on in you two," Billy says.

"Sorry Billy, but I have to go to work now," Sam says, "See you later."

"See ya'," I reply as Billy and I wave.

Billy leads me into his home as Sam drives off. It's a small house, but it is extremely homey. I have always felt so comfortable here, like it's just a good place for me to be. There are pictures in the living room; they show the smiling faces of the members of the black family. There is one picture; however, that includes some other faces. That picture is of both the Black and Ulley family. Jacob and I are about ten years old and have our arms around each other's shoulders, with grins on our faces; the adults behind us- Billy, Sam, and my parents (Daniel and Elaine)- are all smiling. The picture depicts a very happy moment, and I can't help but smile while looking at the photo.

"Jacob and a couple of his friends are out back. Would you mind to go ask them if they want something to drink?" Billy requests with a playful glint in his eyes. Billy and my parents all swear that Jacob and I are meant to be together. We're only thirteen and our parents are already trying to marry us off. I'm sure this is one of Billy's schemes to get Jacob and me around each other.

"Sure, I don't mind." I comply, chuckling a little.

I doubt Jacob and I will ever have a relationship like our parents are trying to instigate. Not that I don't think Jacob's cute, but it's a best friend kind of cute.

"If they do want something, tell them to get their lazy butts in here and get it themselves," Billy calls, laughing at his own obnoxious comment, as I walk out the door.

"Alright, I will," I call back.

_Oh Billy, you silly old goose_.I think to myself while walking to the little garage diagonally behind the house.

I hear voices coming from the building. I also hear music. _They must be listening to the radio_. I walk into the opening of the garage and I see Jacob, but his head is down messing with something. To his left is a boy, our age, with shaggy hair down to his ears. To Jacob's right is another boy, also our age, with hair down to his shoulders; almost as long as Jacobs's, minus a couple inches. I clear my throat quite loudly; you know, the obnoxious throat clearing people use to get other's attention. It worked. Jacob and his friends all look up to see me. The other two boys look a little confused, but Jacob grins and runs over to me.

"Hi Ili," he yells while picking me up.

"Hey Jacob, how ya' doin'," I ask as he sets me down.

"I'm great!" He grins.

"So you gonna introduce me to your buddies over there," I teasingly ask.

"Yeah Jake, quit hogging her to yourself," the boy with the shorter hair complains.

"So it's 'Jake' now?" I look to Jacob.

"Yeah, it's my nickname. Sounds cooler than 'Jacob' I think," Jacob replies.

"Ok." I chuckle. _I can get used to thinking of him as "Jake."_

"Alright, well this is Quil," Jake leads me over to the boy who complained about Jake "hogging" me.

"Hiya' hot stuff." Quil winks at me.

_Well, isn't he confident? _ "Actually, I'm kinda cold," I say. Quil and the other guys laugh, and Quil sits back down.

Jacob brings me to the other boy. "Ioma, this is Embry." We shake hands, and I'm hoping Embry isn't as cocky as Quil. Luckily, Embry just nods at me. _He's a quiet one, I guess._

"Billy asked to see if you guys wanted something to drink," I say.

"Sure," they all reply.

"Ok, he also told me to tell you that if y'all want something, to get your lazy butts up and go get it." I laugh.

They all whine, but shuffle out the garage in single file with me behind them.

"So Ili, how long are you staying," Jacob asks me.

"Just over the summer, then I'm back home for school," I reply. Jacob nods.

"How do you and Jacob know each other, Ioma," Quil questions.

"We met when I visited my family and I visited my uncle over the summer when I was like six."

"How old are you now?"

"I'm thirteen."

"So am I." Quil winks at me.

"Cool," I reply, completely sarcastic.

"Quil, quit being a creep," Embry orders. Quil's smile falls and he begins to pout; I just laugh.

"So you and Jake have known each other for quite a while," Embry addresses me.

"Yeah, we have," Jacob says, "It's been about seven years."

"Yep," I say, "When did you guys start hanging out?"

"We met this school year, and we've just been hanging out since then," Embry answers. It seems that once he gets comfortable, he starts talking more.

"Oh, neat. It's good that y'all aren't loners," I joke.

"Well, we kind of were at first…" Embry admits, "We were pretty pathetic." Him and Jacob laugh.

"Hey! Speak for yourselves guys… I've always been cool." Quil smirks cockily.

"Maybe at one time you were, but something must have happened…" I tease him. He is speechless for a moment. The guys all look at each other, then crack up and give me high fives.

"That was great!" Jacob says.

"Yeah it was!" Embry agrees.

"So mean," Quil whines.

I pat his head. "It's ok little Quil-y, you're mommy still loves you." I pinch his cheek.

"Har har," He says sarcastically. The rest of us just laugh and continue walking into the house.

"Hey dad," Jacob greets as we walk in.

"Hi boys; Ili," Billy replies. We all grab a drink and some chips and we head back outside. We spend the rest of the day hanging out, getting to know each other, and cracking jokes.

The four of us spent just about every weekday during the rest of the summer together. We became pretty close friends and did everything together. Leaving at the end of summer was kind of difficult and sad.


End file.
